Based on one of the most successful - and best ever - stage musicals, it was still possible that Tom Hooper could have cocked up his much-hyped movie adaptation. With some reservations though, Les Misérables: The Movie is a triumph. As well as wowing audiences, it's also being tipped to surprise the likes of Lincoln in the bigger categories during movie awards season. But does this edited score, billed as Highlights from the Motion Picture Soundtrack, capture that magic? Not entirely.

That the movie edited out and cut down songs from the theatrical production is absolutely fine. The songtrack has never been completely static and Hooper was making a film - not filming the theatre. That said, it's hard to see what was added - apart from a 'Best Original Song' nod - by the forgettable new song 'Suddenly'. That despite it being penned by original composer Claude-Michel Schönberg.

Most of the musical highlights are present and correct. Hugh Jackman's 'Bring Him Home', Samantha Barks's 'On My Own' and, of course, Anne Hathaway's 'I Dreamed a Dream'. You don't have to be watching anguished close-ups of the actors' faces to get a pretty hefty emotional thwack from these numbers, sung like this.

Despite the deserved plaudits being heaped on Hathaway, there are two other stand-out standalone songs that match her moment - both from very opposite ends of the spectrum. Eddie Redmayne's 'Empty Chairs at Empty Tables' is every bit as heartbreaking - his best moment from a revelatory performance.

Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter's 'Master of the House' is a welcome bit of light among all the dark and makes next year's Freddie biopic Mercury a very interesting prospect indeed. Quibbles aside, it's a joy to have all these great performances together.

Much has been said about Russell Crowe's singing ability or lack thereof, but in the movie he's perfectly competent. His lack of vocal acrobatics genuinely don't do the role of Javert any harm, though on disc 'Stars' and SPOILERS:'Javert's Suicide' don't quite keep up with the efforts of those around him.

What lets down this collection of "highlights" are the omissions. To skip 'Lovely Ladies' is one thing. To exclude 'Do You Hear The People Sing' is quite another - and its reprise in the 'Epilogue' doesn't excuse that. Losing 'Who Am I?', Gavroche's 'Look Down' and 'A Little Fall of Rain' destroys the ability for this collection to tell a story - as well as missing out some of its most wonderful musical moments.

Perhaps the editors just wanted to whittle things down to a single disc, and made some tricky choices. But the fact of 18 blank minutes to play with and the inclusion of 'The Final Battle' - pointless when shorn of visual context - makes one wonder.

We reckon that Hooper and producer Cameron Mackintosh (understandably) didn't quite fancy an audio version of their entire movie being on shelves while it was still in the cinemas. Call us cynical, but we worry that in holding back few big-hitters, they'll entice some of the famously fanatical Les Misérables fanbase to buy most of these songs twice over when the inevitable deluxe edition drops with the DVD in less than a year's time. If you can wait that long to find out if we're right, it might be worth making do with some official YouTube clips till then.

Tracks to download: 'I Dreamed A Dream', 'Master of the House', 'On My Own', 'One Day More' 'Empty Chairs At Empty Tables', 'Epilogue'If you like this, you'll like: Evita, The Sound of Music, Singin' In The Rain